Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/05/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  the ****** area of Fulton County, where I, along with many other residents, have been facing severe overcharges on our water bills. The billing discrepancies, inaccurate meter readings, and the subsequent overcharging have placed an unreasonable financial burden on homeowners in our community. Sporadic Meter Readings: The water meters in our area are not being read consistently, which often leads to estimated readings that are significantly higher than actual usage causing higher bills. Inaccurate Meter Readings: On top of sporadic readings, when the meters are read, they often do not reflect our actual water usage. This inaccuracy is contributing to inflated bills.Failure of Billing Support: We have contacted Fulton County's billing department multiple times, but the issue remains unresolved. Despite our efforts to provide detailed information and seek a resolution, we have encountered a lack of support and assistance. Unfortunately, the department has either been unable or unwilling to help rectify the situation.Plumber Inspections: As per the recommendation of Fulton County, numerous residents have had licensed plumbers inspect their homes for leaks, yet no issues have been found. This further confirms that the overcharges are not due to water waste or leaks on our end, but rather stem from the meter readings and billing discrepancies.Given these ongoing issues, I respectfully request that your office investigate A thorough review of the water meters in the ****** area to ensure accurate readings and proper billing.Immediate adjustments to the bills of affected residents, with the correction of any overcharges.Improved communication and support from Fulton Countys billing department.This situation has caused significant distress among residents, and the financial impact is unsustainable. I trust that you will take swift action to address these concerns and ensure that this issue is resolved.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2025

  We have summarized the past interactions with the customer as well as a chart that shows the water usage at the home since 2016 below (attached).  We do agree that the amount of water usage has increased at the home in the last six months of 2024, but it is consistent with previous periods of high water use for example in the summer/fall 2019. The estimated read in October seems to be the point of concern.  When the estimate was done, it was more than likely artificially low which made the December bill, when the meter was read, seem higher than usual.  In 2025 Fulton County will be moving to an Automated Meter Infrastructure which will allow for remote readings of all of our meters and no longer require meter readers to physical read or drive by the meter to receive the reading.  This will end the need to estimate water usage.
   
  - The water account for ************************************* has been opened since 10/06/2015
  - It has been billed based on estimated readings 3 times: once in December 2017, once in August 2023, and once in October 2024.
      1. The December 2017 estimation was too high and was corrected when we received an actual reading for the following bill. 
      2. The August ********************** line with the subsequent actual meter reading.
      3. The October 2024 estimation was most likely too low resulting with the subsequent bill acting as a true-up. 
  - The customer contacted us in August 2024 to complain about high bill she received in July. The bill was based on an actual reading, but it was 77 days long. She sent us a copy of the reading which was in line with the Julys reading. 
  - It should be noted that the customer did not pay her prior 3 bills in 2024 which appeared to be normal.
  - We issued a $278.07 courtesy adjustment on the account for the higher usage tiers.
  - The customer contacted us in January ***************************************** October, the high usage in December and the high number of days on those bills. A reared confirmed that the usage was not overestimated, but most likely underestimated. 
  - We issued $100 courtesy adjustment on the account for the high number of days on the last 2 bills and the cost difference for the usage that went into higher tier. 

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/13/2025

   
  Complaint: 22901444
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the ongoing issue is the lack of consistent readings which are putting not only myself, but hundreds of customers into higher tiers. Some reading are pushing into over 100 days, not based on the 60 day reading. Had I not called to complain, I would have received no adjustment, just like the hundreds of customers that are being overcharged. My ********************** bill for December is 60k gallons, typical usage is 13k. There is clearly something wrong with the meter or a billing issue as there is no irrigation happening in these months and a plumber has preformed a leak test. These issues are happening all over the area. This is not a one off situation. We still need to understand why the December reading was 5x typical usage when we have less residents living in the home 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** *****

  Business Response

  Date: 02/14/2025

  Dear Ms. *************** understand how frustrating inconsistent readings can be, and we appreciate your feedback.
  

  We acknowledge that some readings have extended well beyond 60 days. That is unacceptable and not in line with our expected 60-day reading cycle. Our goal is to adhere closely to this schedule. Unfortunately, our meter reading contractor has not been able to meet this requirement. To address this, our billing system has been adjusted to account for the fluctuating number of days on the bill. Therefore, more usage is charged at lower tiers if the bill exceeds 60 days, ensuring that customers do not pay more per unit of **********************.

  Your shock regarding the December bill showing an alarming ****** gallons, while your typical usage is around ****** gallons, is very understandable. It is important to note that the reading on your October bill appears to have been significantly underestimated. It appears that a significant amount of usage billed in December actually occurred between July 17 and October 16. The daily average usage on July's bill was ******** gallons, while the estimated usage for October's bill showed a daily average of only ****** gallons. Considering that the Octobers bill covered half of July, August, September, and half of October (which was the driest month on record for *******), it is reasonable to conclude that the usage in October was underestimated.

  We understand your concern about adjustments. While the account was not overcharged and the bill was correct, we recognize the frustration with fluctuating bill amounts. As a courtesy, we offered an adjustment, even though it was not required.
  

  As mentioned before, our goal is to adhere closely to the 60-day billing frequency. In certain instances, we have to estimate meter readings when it becomes clear that an actual reading will not be supplied. If the next actual meter reading indicates that the usage was over-estimated, the bill is automatically adjusted. Conversely, if the reading shows that usage was underestimated, the bill serves as a true-up. We recognize that water usage patterns for each property vary because no house is the same. We review each inquiry individually to ensure accurate billing.
  

  We are committed to resolving these issues and ensuring our customers are not adversely affected. The ********************** is actively working on transitioning to utilizing smart meters, which will allow us to read meters remotely and eliminate our reliance on meter reading contractors. We hope to kcik off the project in the second half of 2025.
  

  If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out.
  

  Thank you for your understanding.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/03/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I was told back earlier in the year when calling Fulton county water to make payment arrangments that their system had been hacked and they were not able to make any arrangments or do anything on the accts. The message to customer was thank you for patience. Now that i am contacting them to try and make a pymt arrangment the persons responding were giving my husband and I wrong info as to the arrangelment he made and then false information on what their policy was and theirr not making arrangements with no regard that for months they asked for patience. Although our acct was not in collections, I took the initiative to call Fulton co water to make an arrangement on our bill which seemed excessively high, after ***orting the previous excperoience, i had someone reach out who it seemed was going to help , but while we were Calling to make pymt arrangements depsite our small retirenment income, the *** was putting out acct in collections.. this is very Unfair Consumer Practice.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/14/2024

  Thank you for reaching out to us regarding our customers recent experience. Customers feedback is invaluable, and we take all concerns seriously. We want to assure you that our team has made every effort to assist ************ ****. 
  

  Our billing system was not accessible for about 3 weeks in February 2024. However, customers were not adversely impacted by that occurrence in any way. 
  

  Since 2018 we have offered ************ **** multiple payment arrangements. The last time their account had no balance was in December 2022. Since then, the customer has only made 3 payments for the grand total of $90.00. However, since **** **** takes the initiative and contacts us regularly about not being able to pay as agreed, we continue to work with her to meet their needs and offer new payment arrangements. Their water service was never interrupted during this time. We also do not report customers to collections agencies and their credit history is not affected by their Fulton Countys water/sewer bill payment history.

  The most recent payment arrangement was setup on October 4, 2024, as requested by **** ****. 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2024

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I called on 9/25 to make a payment arrangement on my water bill. I had also tried to make a pymt this past week as a good faith pymt but the automated IVR glitched off upon putting in the pymt information. I tried calling back again with no success.On yesterday I spoke with a ******* ( I believe) she advised that the last payment arrangement could not be changed and that policy dictated that customer had to first pay the arrangement. She advised notes stating the arrangement was made by my husband which I did not recognize and was to pay multiple payments and months. I advised that did not sound like an arrangement my husband would make given our both being retired and having had an income loss. I called back and advised that I would dispute that arrangement , and check with my husband but was pretty sure it could not be .I shared that the arrangement I recollect was for ONE payment. And a loss of income contributed to our not being able to keep the payment arrangement.Upon confirming with my husband that to his recollection the arrangement was not for multiple months, I am writing the complaint. I want to ensure the account reflects correctly. I was told earlier in the yr. upon calling to make pymt, on ****. they had hacking and were not addressing accounts.Also I noted to 2nd rep that our acct was much lower in the earlier part of year which also brought question on the arrangement.Also noting the second ****** I spoke with began adding on requirements in paying that did not sound true . Also the first said I could not speak with manager, whom I have before when difficulty on account. I would ask for a manager ***** to call me to ensure the amount also is correct and make an arrangement as having tried to do in good faith on the account.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/25/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Sewer damaged my home because the main line was backed up. The backup was from the county line. It was not due to any plumbing issues in my home. I put in a damage claim they denied it. I should have to be responsible for something I did not cause due to poor or no maintenance to the sewer system in my area.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/26/2024

  My name is ***************************, *************** Supervisor.  I spoke with ******************, who was cordial.  I reiterated the reason(s) for the County denying the sewer back-up claim.  When a sewer back-up claim is presented, our office relies on a departmental report from Public Works and case law, which governs nuisance claims.  ****************** expressed the law does not protect private citizens; only the government.  ****************** may or may not pursue the denial through legal action.  Unfortunately, ****************** does not have a rider for sewer back-*** as an add on to her homeowner's policy, which results in the cost of structural repairs solely on the homeowner.